Michigan St. vs. Michigan preview

The top two teams in the BIG10 conference are set to clash on Friday, with No. 14 Michigan State (11-3, 20-5) paying an in-state visit to No. 12 Michigan (12-2, 20-5).

First-year Michigan head coach Dusty May has executed an incredible turnaround, with the Wolverines not only a lock to qualify for the postseason for the first time in three years, but contending for their first BIG10 championship in a full season since 2014.

The stakes could not be higher in May’s first taste of the heated in-state rivalry. The universities, which are separated only by an hour-long drive, are set to play a top-15 matchup for the first time since 2020.

The Wolverines are coming off another emotional rivalry game after they took on Ohio State on Sunday. They escaped with a three-point win after a potential game-tying Buckeye floater drew nothing but air, boosting their active win streak to six games, all of which have come by fewer than five points.

On the Spartans side, veteran head coach Tom Izzo appears poised to extend his team’s postseason streak to 27 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the nation.

However, after losing three of their last five games, and with a vaunted remaining schedule, Michigan State’s hopes of winning their first BIG10 title since 2020 have significantly worsened.

The Spartans have a matchup on Tuesday against No. 13 Purdue, the first of four straight ranked opponents, before their trip to Ann Arbor. Should they win both of those matchups, Michigan State will be the sole team atop the BIG10 with four games remaining in the regular season.

Series History

Michigan State holds the advantage in the rivalry, with a 31-16 series lead, including winning both matchups between the programs last season.

While the Spartans dominate the rivalry in Lansing, games in Ann Arbor are nearly split, with the Wolverines holding a slight 16-15 lead.

Key Players

Wolverines Center Danny Wolf has established himself as a future NBA draft pick. The junior big man and Yale transfer is averaging a double-double with 12.9 points and 10.0 rebounds, while tacking on 3.6 assists and a block and a half per game.

Michigan features another elite big man in Senior Vladislav Goldin, who followed May from Florida Atlantic to Michigan. The seven-footer leads the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game to go along with 6.2 boards and 1.5 blocks.

Michigan State is led by senior guard Jaden Akins and his 13.2 points per game. Their most talented player, however, may be freshman guard Jase Richardson, who has established himself as an efficient scorer in his first year playing college ball.

Richardson is averaging just over 10 points a game while converting on more than half of his field goal attempts and shooting nearly 40% from three-point range, elite shooting percentages for a young guard.

The most explosive player in this matchup is without a doubt Michigan State’s Coen Carr. The sophomore forward has already had multiple viral dunks in his college career, and is recognized as one of the best in-game dunkers in the sport. Any big play Carr is able to create is a boon of momentum for the Spartans.

Key Statistics

The Spartans struggle to shoot the ball, draining less than 30% of their three-pointers while only drilling 5.6 per game, both of which are dead last in the BIG10.

But what they lack in shooting they more than make up for in pace. The Spartans are second in the nation in transition points per game.

Michigan State is also elite at not only getting to the free throw line, but also converting them into free points. They top the BIG10 in free throw makes per game, more than a full free throw ahead of the second-place program, and are one of two BIG10 teams to drain over 80% of their looks.

Michigan, meanwhile, has only two players sinking over 80% of their chances at the line. They also commit over 14 turnovers per game, an alarming number that not only is the worst in the conference, but is a bottom-25 mark in the country.

Those are essentially the only areas in which Michigan struggles, however. The Wolverines are top five in their conference in points, field goals made, three pointers made, rebounds and assists per game.

Prediction

Michigan has home court advantage, momentum advantage and star power advantage.

Michigan State has one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time in Izzo, who always seems to have his teams playing their best when March hits.

Unfortunately for the Spartans, it is still February and they’ve struggled against inferior competition. The Wolverines, on the other hand, have done nothing but win since the calendar shifted to February, albeit in nail-biting fashion.

Prediction- Michigan 84-77 Michigan St

Alex Perez is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email app5877@psu.edu.